Change in the Heart
by TheZygomaticArch
Summary: What happened directly after Booth awoke from his coma? What if Brennan never left? What if she was forced to take care of him when he returned home? How do they deal with their shared dream and their new reality? What if they're not ready to let go of it
1. Change in the Mind

**So here is the first chapter in my new story.**

**It takes place directly after the end of season 4. It will explore those days after Booth woke up and thought Brennan was his wife and the aftermath of that. What if Brennan didn't run away after he woke up? What if she stayed? **

**Read and Review please! The first chapter is mostly just setting up where this story is going to go. The pace will start picking up- promise!**

**I know this kind of story has been explored before... but TRUST me... this is different. It just may start in a similar place as past stories.**

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><p>'You see two people, you think they belong together, but nothing happens. The thought of losing so much control over personal happiness is unbearable. You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering, and that's the sad truth. Maybe they'll break your heart, maybe you'll break their heart and never be able to look at yourself in the same way. Those are the risks. That's the burden. Like wings, they have weight, we feel that weight on our backs, but they are a burden that lifts us. Burdens that allow us to fly.'<p>

Dr. Temperance Brennan looked harshly down at the words she had just written. Her intention had been to write a novel; another best seller that she could hand over to her publisher. But as she read back to herself what she had just written, it proved to be nothing less than a confession. She had meant to write a simple crime drama in a night club, but somewhere along the way she lost herself in the fantasy of an alternative life. A life where murder was an abnormality to her routine, her friends were always around, and she could have a family and life with the man she'd always wanted.

Her eyes shifted to that man. It was deeply upsetting to see him looking so weak and small. For four days she had hardly left his side and if it took another four, she'd be there. However long it took, she was determined to be there when he woke up- because he had to wake up. Her happiness depended on it.

She might love that man.

The thought repeated in her mind. She wanted the life she had just dreamed and she wanted him. Why had it taken her so long to admit it and why had she been so scared too?

'Booth... Booth wake up. I need to tell you something...Please wake up'

She instantly scolded herself for the thought. Booth wasn't going to wake up simply because she willed him too and she certainly couldn't tell him how she felt. After all, these thoughts were probably nothing more than a manifestation of the lack of sleep. DELETE- the confession was gone. Hopefully the confession was out of her.

"Such a weird dream..."

Brennan's head bolted up, "Booth..." She went to him instantly. Had it worked? How had heard her? "You're awake," she smiled fighting back tears.

"It felt real..."

"You're operation was a success but you reacting poorly to the anesthesia. You've been in a coma for four days..." She stared into his dark brown eyes; she loved him. "What took you so long to wake up?'

"It felt so real..." He repeated.

"It wasn't real," Her hand grabbed hold of his. Tell him. Tell him.

"Who are you?"

Brennan instantly felt like all the air in her lungs had been sucked out. Her dream had suddenly turned into a nightmare, "Booth... it's me. Bones..."

"Bones?" his hollow eyes looked at her without recognition.

"Booth... you have to remember me. You have too!" She pleaded with him as a tear rolled down her face.

"I don't... Bren?"

"Bones- it's Bones, Booth. You call me Bones," her heart was breaking. "Please remember. Please..."

Booth didn't speak. He just lay there frozen with his eyes transfixed on her.

In panic Brennan ran for the doctor. This had to be a side effect from the coma- four years of history couldn't be erased so easily. Not for them- no.

Booth watched her run away. Why was his wife running from him? What had he done to her? His eyes scanned over his body; there were tubes coming out of him and his head throbbed. The last thing he remembered was holding his wife in his arms after she told him of their baby... But that woman back there... that wasn't his wife, was it?

Soon after his room was full of doctors and nurses, in the background stood the woman. The doctors checked his vitals and began to ask him a series of standard questions. What year was it? When was he born? What was his full name? He knew all of this; but his mind could not wrap around his environment. His eyes remained locked with the woman in front of him, she stared at him angrily. He didn't understand why but he knew that look- he knew those eyes. A tear ran down her cheek and she quickly whipped it away.

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><p>So this first chapter was mostly just setting up for the whole story. More action to come.<p>

Review and tell me what you think!


	2. The Fact from the Fiction

**Thanks for all the alerts and reviews! You guys are awesome! SOO awesome that I wanted to hurry up and get a new chapter ready. This is more (I feel) like the jumping off chapter for the story. My direction and story line starts to come into play now.**

**So read and review!**

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><p>"You're not married to Dr. Brennan."<p>

"I'm not married to Dr. Brennan..." Booth repeated the statement by Dr. Lance Sweets- who was also not a bartender- as he sat up in his hospital bed.

"Correct. You do not own a night club together. You work for the FBI. She works for the Jeffersonian institution. You're partners." Sweets had spent the last hour with Booth helping him sort out his dream from his reality. It had been an exhausting job but it seemed like they were starting to make progress. "You understand, Agent Booth?"

"Yes..." He replied cautiously.

"Good."

"When can I see my wife?"

Sweets' head sank into his hands. One step forward and two steps back, "She's not you're wife Agent Booth. She's your partner. Just your partner."

"I think I would know if I were married or not," Booth was starting to get frustrated. Maybe he wasn't a nightclub owner- but he knew his wife when he saw her. "I need to see her. Where is she?"

"She's not you're wife, Agent Booth. You are latching on to a comatose dream," Sweets could see the denial in Booth's eyes and the pain. "I'm sorry, Agent Booth."

"She's my wife. She's... she's pregnant."

"Dr. Brennan is not pregnant, Agent Booth."

"Yes she is!" Booth snapped up and pulled the tubes from his body. "Tell me where she is!"

Sweets was getting nervous now. Dismantling Booth's reality could have violent consequences, "Agent Booth, do you remember your wedding?"

"I..." Booth sank back in his bed as he tried to rack his mind for the answer. "No... but it happened. I know that it happened."

"Do you remember how you met?" Sweets could tell they were making progress.

"She... she was teaching," the realization confused him. Why did he remember meeting his wife at a university lecture? "We met in college!"

"And she was teaching? No, Agent Booth. You met because you needed her expertise on a missing person's case and she was lecturing at American University. That's how you met," Sweets could see that things were finally starting to click for him. He was thankful, but he hated seeing his friend go through the pain of the sudden loss.

"I was investigating the Gemma Arrington case..." The memory of Bones came flooding back.

"That's correct. You worked together. You still work together. I have assessed that you share a very deep bond with her, but you're just partners," Sweets knew this was going to be a lot for him to take in. This was just the first step in what would be weeks of recovery.

"We're partners," the reality sank in. "Can I just see her? Can I see, Bones?"

Sweets shook his head. "I'm not sure if that's such a good idea just yet. I think you still need time to process-"

"Sweets. Please."

"I will see if she wants to speak with you. But I can't make her," maybe seeing her would help him get over his dream. Maybe it would set things back into balance... Sweets could only hope.

Meanwhile in the hospital waiting room, a very exhausted Temperance Brennan sat holding the hand of her best friend. It had been two days since Booth had woken up and while Brennan hadn't seen him, she didn't want to leave in the chance that she would miss updates on his state. Part of her didn't want to see him. She had taken his lack of recognition very hard; mostly she wanted to hear that he was okay and jump the next plan out of DC.

"He's going to be fine, Sweetie," Angela couldn't take the intense silence anymore.

"You don't know that. He may have permanent memory loss... he could lose his job with the..."

"He'll remember you," Angela squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"You don't know that. You can't know that, Ange." Brennan sighed. "He remembers me. He remembers me as a projected image from my book. I never should have read it out loud to him... this is all my fault."

"You think Booth came to the conclusion that he loves you and wants to marry you and make babies with you just because of your book? Bren... he's always felt that way about you. Maybe that dream was just helping him to admit it," she smiled at Brennan. She wasn't totally convinced that this alternate reality world was such a bad thing. "And what about you? Huh? You just wrote a whole novel about having a life with Booth. You're going to tell me you didn't mean any of that?"

"I deleted the book, Ange," she had deleted it with the intention of keeping it out of the public eye but here it was. "They were characters, Angela. Nothing more that devices for my novel. It wasn't Booth and it wasn't me. If Booth interpenetrated it that way..."

"You're trying to get pregnant right before we find out about Booth's brain tumor and then the main character in your book shows up pregnant by your Booth character?" This seemed like more than a coincidence to Angela. "I'm sorry, Sweetie... but you're not that creative."

"I don't want to talk about it, Ange." Brennan stared down the hallway where Booth's room was located. She wasn't going to think about the possibility that she might have feelings for Booth, at this moment she was just hoping she hadn't lost him all together. "He's not in love with me. He's in love with the woman from my book..."

Suddenly Lance Sweets was coming down the hall after them. Brennan hadn't liked that he had been watching and having sessions with Booth during this time- but it wasn't really in her control. The idea that Sweets was in there poking and prodding around his vulnerable mind; it made her a little ill.

"He wants to see you, Dr. Brennan."

"He does?" Brennan wasn't sure if this was something she wanted to hear. Maybe Booth was ready to see her... but she might not have been ready to see him.

"Yes. I've been working with him. I don't think he believes that you're his pregnant wife anymore. He's starting to discern the fact from the fiction. I'm hoping that if he sees you- he'll realize that you are not the woman for his dreams," That sounded clinical but it was actually fairly insulting.

"What would I say to him?" Booth was the one who always knew what to say in difficult moments... not her.

"Just speak to him like you usually would. And if he tries to talk to you about your marriage or pregnancy... calmly and efficiently explain to him that you are not married nor pregnant. You're very good with honesty, Dr. Brennan. I believe you can do this," Sweets could see she was still very unsure. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No... I'll talk to him."

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><p><strong>So next is the chapter where they'll talk... will it go smoothly or be a total train wreck... guess we'll find out!<strong>

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	3. The Definition of the Word

"Hi..." Brennan walked through the hospital room door with caution. Tension was following with her. Did he know who she was or was this going to be repeat episode of her running out of the room crying. He looked much better than he had the last time she'd seen him; actually he was smiling at her.

"Hey..." He could sense her apprehension but he was so glad to finally see her... but in all that time he hadn't thought of what he was actually going to say to her.

A silence past between the two and a safe distance was kept.

"How do you feel?" Her eyes scanned his body and the bandage wrapped around his head. This hadn't been the first time she'd visited him in the hospital- with their line of work it wasn't an abnormality- but this was the first time she seemed to be at a loss for words. "I've been speaking with your doctors... the stitches are healing quite well."

"I'm okay. This pillow isn't too great, though," Booth made an awkward attempt at a joke.

"I could get you a better one if you like- or I could go to your apartment and get one if you would prefer that..." She hadn't been this nervous and anxious around him since they first met.

As nice as that sounded, he didn't want to see her running out again. "No, Bren... Bones," he corrected himself. "You don't need to do that."

"Alright," Brennan made her way to a chair in the corner of the room and sat down. "Sweets mention that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Right, yeah. I told him that," Looking at her he tried to comprehend that this was his partner and not his wife. He tried to. But looking at her, he couldn't imagine that he could be anything less. He was just partners with this woman? She was beautiful and had the most loving look in her eyes- she couldn't just be his partner. No way. "I have some questions that I want to ask you."

She nodded her head, "Okay."

"You and me... our history..."

"Are you having problems remembering?" Her spine went cold in fear, she hoped this wasn't the case.

"No... I think I remember. I remember our cases- the work we did together," he hoped she knew what he was getting at. "I can't remember much other than that."

"There isn't really more than that. We're partners; we work together. We have a very proficient working relationship," She wasn't even convincing herself as she said it. They were more than their job... at least it seemed that way.

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"I- I don't believe that."

"Please stop," Her eyes turned to the floor, unable to look at him. "I'm not your wife, Booth. I'm not your girlfriend... I'm not anything. I suppose we could say we're friends." She didn't even believe it herself, but how else did she define their relationship? That had been a subject they'd always avoided. They were two people who worked together, who frequently ate meals and had drinks together, when they had no weekend plans they would occasionally run errands together... they'd considered inseminating her with his sperm. How could a relationship like this be simply explained?

"You've been here this whole time. You were there when I woke up- you haven't left. The doctors have told me," This sounded like the behavior of someone in a relationship to Booth. "You guess you could say we're friends? That doesn't make sense, Bren."

"Bones," her eyes shot up at him. "I'm not Bren. Angela calls me Bren. You call me Bones. Bones."

"I'm sorry... I'm just trying to understand-"

She cut him off before he could finish, "Was this all you had to talk to me about?"

"Bones..."

She stood up and began to head towards the door, "I have given you my assessment of our relationship. Do you have anymore questions- because as you've pointed out- I've spent a great deal of time here and I have things to do."

"Where are you going?" He asked earnestly and honestly.

The question caught her off guard, "I was going to go home."

"Okay..." Booth hadn't meant to scare her away.

"I'm," Brennan took a deep breath. She wasn't very good at apologizing. "I'm sorry for getting upset. I understand that you are just trying to make sense of... after brain surgery..."

"It's okay, Bones." Maybe she was right. Maybe he was only projecting his dream world on to her. "I'm sorry. You're my partner."

"Yes," she gave a slight nod. "And... I'm your friend."

"Good," He smiled slightly at her. That was certainly better.

"Well.. I should leave anyway. You need your rest," She gave a little melancholy smile and left.

Brennan returned to the waiting room where Angela still sat waiting on her. She could tell it must not have been a disaster but it hadn't exactly been a great thing either.

"How'd it go, sweetie?"

Brennan sighed and sat next to her, "He's convinced we have some sort of relationship..."

"Well you do," Brennan looked at Angela, shocked. "What, sweetie? You're in a relationship together... you're just not reaping the physical benefits."

Brennan gave a nervous laugh, "Our relationship is simply platonic. Anyway... I'm thinking of taking a vacation."

"What? Bren- No. You cannot leave right now," Angela couldn't believe her ears. "You cannot leave that man right now- he just had brain surgery and he's been in a coma."

"The doctors have assured me he will recover..."

"Really, sweetie? Earlier today you were all worried about permanent damage- now- you think he's going to be just fine. I'm sorry, sweetie. You're not getting out of this. No running away and abandoning him," Angela knew the moment she said the word 'abandon' she was going to hit a nerve.

"I'm not abandoning him..."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I know this is going to sound harsh, but that's what you do. When you don't want to deal with something because its too emotional for you- you retract into your Brennan world."

"I'm not. I just want a vacation," Brennan was becoming slightly offended... she wasn't like her parents. She didn't just leave people like that.

"He needs you. You know he would stay for you."

"Fine. I will stay."


	4. The Thrill in the Offer

**Thanks for all the reviews and traffic guys! Keep it coming!**

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><p>"Its important that someone stay with him for the next four to six weeks while he readjusts to his routine. It is my understanding that Mr. Booth lives alone and there are no close relatives he can stay with, is that right?" Booth's neurosurgeon had come to address his friends in the hospital waiting room. He'd assessed Booth's vitals were in the acceptable range for him to be discharged from the hospital. However, he was still going to have to be under supervision, "He's still susceptible to seizures and hemorrhaging so its important that he be taken close care of in these next couple weeks. Are any of you able to make arrangements for someone to stay with him?"<p>

Angela, Hodgins and Cam all looked to Brennan.

"What?" She knew what they were implying. "I can't look after Booth."

"I just thought I would extend the offer," the neurologist could tell he had just walked into something. "A Dr. Lance Sweets has already offered to watch him... but considering your presence over the last week... I thought one of you might like to stay with him." He looked at Brennan as well; he thought for sure she was his girlfriend until he had been corrected.

Angela smiled at the surgeon, "Well you excuse us for just one minute?"

"Yes, sure. Just let me know what you decide," He smiled and dismissed himself. For Booth's sake he hoped one of them would look after him- that Dr. Sweets seemed a little nosy.

Once they were alone; it was time to gang up on Brennan, "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" She took a couple steps back; feeling completely uncomfortable.

"Really, sweetie?"

"Angela..." Brennan looked to Cam and Hodgins for support. "You guys know that I can't stay with him."

"Sorry, Dr. Brennan but I'm with Angela on this one. You are by far the best candidate to stay with him," Cam took her position next to Angela.

Brennan was feeling very out numbered, "Hodgins?"

"Whoa. Hey... don't put me in the middle of this," Hodgins knew better than to go against Angela and Cam. Oh, he certainly knew better.

"Why am I the one?" Brennan questioned all of them. "Cam- you've know Booth much longer than I have..."

"I also have a teenage daughter at home that I can't leave," Cam smiled at her; no way she was letting her get out of this.

"Hodgins?"

"You really think Booth wants to live with him for four weeks?" Angela butted in. "Sorry, Hodgins."

"No- no offense taken," Hodgins yeilded.

"Sweetie... are you really go to standby and let Sweets stay with him? Hasn't his brain been through enough?" Angela could tell she was starting to get through to her. "You know him better than any of us, Bren. If anyone can help him come back from this... its you. And you know he would do the same for you."

Brennan took a deep breath, "I will need sometime off from work."

"Take as long as you need," Cam smiled; she was glad her friend would be in good hands now.

"I guess I'll go find the doctor and let him know..." Brennan excused herself from her meddling friends. She told herself that she was doing this because rationally- she was the best choice. It wasn't guilt... it was just rational.

But as she walked away from them, the group smiled and collectively bumped fists. Win.

The surgeon was in Booth's room when Brennan caught back up to him. She had seen Booth occasionally over the last couple days, each meeting had been awkward but they were getting better. Booth had stopped questioning her about their relationship, but he still walked on egg shells around her. He looked at her with some sort of penetrating marvel.

"Dr. Brennan? Have you all agreed on a line of action?"

"Uh... yes. We've agree... I've agreed that I will stay with him," Her eyes glanced over to Booth to see his reaction. Hopefully she wouldn't be unwelcomed- or at least be a preference above sweets.

"Great, well I'll be right back with some information for the both of you on how to approach the next couple weeks. Excuse me," The doctor left and suddenly Booth and Brennan were back to being alone together. They were going to be alone together a lot over the next couple weeks.

"I hope that's alright," she spoke up.

"No, that's great. Thank you," Booth smiled at her and tried to contain himself. This was actually a little thrilling. He'd been trying to convince himself over the last few days that he was only in love with the Brennan from his dreams, but he eventually came to the conclusion that they were the same. The eyes, the voice, the heart... they were the same. "Thank you for doing this for me, Bones."

"Well," she smiled at him; finally allowing herself to admit that she would enjoy this too. "I couldn't let Sweets stay with you."

"Good woman."

They shared a small laugh until the tension quickly began to build again.

"You're going to be fine, Booth," she walked over and held his hand. Maybe she did it for herself more than him... she wasn't sure.

"You told me that right before I went into surgery..." his thumb intimately brushed the outside of her hand.

"You remember that? How do you remember that?" Statistically, memory before invasive brain surgery was often lost.

He stared up into her eyes, "I don't."

She nodded her head in acceptance. He just knew. Despite everything that had happened in the last week and a half, he still knew her. This gave her great comfort... Booth was still Booth.

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><p><strong>Booth and Brennan... staying at Booth's place together. Alone. After both recently admitting to themselves that they're in love with the other... you know you want too see how this developes...<strong>

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	5. Back in the Swing

**Their first night together...**

**I tried to get this posted quickly for you guys. Thank you too all my readers and reviewers! Loving the traffic I'm getting! Thanks!**

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><p>"I eat this stuff?" When Booth finally was home in his apartment; the fridge was the first thing he scoped out. Hospital food left much to be desired, but he found a fridge full of vegetables and organics, "What? I'm I some sort of health nut?"<p>

"I bought those," Brennan followed him into the kitchen. She'd gone to Booth's apartment the day before to get it ready, "You had practically nothing in the fridge aside from frozen dinners- the preservatives in those are extremely bad for your colon and digestive track you know."

"Does this mean you're going to cook for me?" he gave her a charming smile. Dream Brennan had been an extremely good cook.

"Yes," she gave a sly smile back. "I was thinking tonight I would make your favorite meal."

Booth was excited for half a second until he realized he didn't know what that was. How could he have forgot his own favorite meal? "I don't remember what that is..."

"Pork roast. And my macaroni and cheese," she could see the pain in his eyes for not remembering. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to not remember something so simple. "I was reading up about the short term side affects from brain surgery- most memory loss returns over time in the following weeks and months. Many people liken the effect to Swiss cheese- which I'm assuming means that there are some holes..."

"And what about the long term affects?" he knew she was trying to cheer him up but he knew that he was in for disappointment.

"It varies for different people. Somethings are never remembered..." she hated to upset him. "But- I am here. So if you have any doubts or questions... you can ask me and I will do my best. You have no physical or speech defects- which is extremely good."

A grin came back to his face, "Can I help you with dinner?"

They worked side by side as they fixed dinner together. Booth had never been much of a cook so it was a pretty safe activity for the two of them- nothing he could feel inadequate about not knowing. As he watched her move around the kitchen with such skill and procession, he was sent flash backs of their working relationship. He could see her in her blue lab coat looking over microscopes and lab tables. Not the most appetizing imagine to have right before dinner, but watching her with food, there was something sensual. Watching her like this... how could he have lived as just partners with her.

"You're not eating any of this?" they sat down at his table and he noticed she wasn't eating any of the pork roast.

"I'm a vegetarian, Booth."

He took is first bite and nearly died with how it melted in his mouth, "You don't know what you're missing."

"You tell me that a lot," she was perfectly happy with just her macaroni and cheese. "You're always teasing me. You like to try and sneak bacon into my sandwiches or you order chili cheese fries so I can't have any."

She was laughing in memory but he suddenly got serious, "I wasn't very nice to you, was I?'

"What? No-no. Booth. You're very nice to me. You treat me very well," she hadn't meant to upset him. "While this has annoyed me in the past, now I see it as a humorous antidote. You tease me as a term of endearment. I know that."

He wasn't completely convinced still, "You're sure?"

"Yes. I don't typically do this- but you do say that I am brutally honest sometimes. I suppose that's similar, although I don't know why honesty is as a bad thing or how it can be defined as brutal," Although she wasn't completely perceptive at reading people, she could tell he was still not happy about this. "One time, you gave me a smurf. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah... I think I do," he remembered the how and the what... but not the why.

"You gave it to me after I shared a painful story of adolescent rejection. You gave it to me and told me that I should want the brainy smurf... not smurfette... because I have my intellect and... my looks," It was the nicest present she'd ever had. "I keep it in my bathroom, next to the sink."

"Good, I'm just relieved to hear I wasn't a total asshole before," he really wanted to ask her... if he wasn't an asshole... why weren't they together. His mind was transfixed on this.

"Not an asshole," her bedroom eyes looked up at him. He could tell they'd shared many looks like this in the past.

When there dinner was over and all the plates were cleaned and washed, it was time for them to separate to there own beds. The first night together of the many they would have over the next couple weeks. She'd take the couch, he'd take the bed.

"Bones... you can take my bed. I'll take the couch."

"No, you should take your bed. You have a bad back, anyway.

"You could..." he wanted to ask her to stay with him. But how could that be appropriate?

"I could, what, Booth?"

"You could take the couch. Yeah... I've had enough of you today."

Brennan looked at him completely confused, "Huh?"

He suddenly panicked realizing that she didn't understand his joke, "Bones- I'm joking! I don't mean it. I was just trying to tease you, you know. Like a term of endearment... you've been wonderful today. Thank you for dinner."

She nodded with slight understanding, "You're welcome..."

"Okay. Well, I guess I'll go to bed. Goodnight, Bones." He turned to his room and shut the door. Completely embarrassed. Maybe this way the reason why him and the beautiful doctor were just friends- he acted like a complete idiot around her. Damn it.

She in turn sat down on the couch still feeling far away from him even though they were under the same roof. Tonight had been wonderful, but she couldn't help but wonder what things would have been like if he hadn't woken up with this altered reality. If she could have told him how she felt. She couldn't do that now.

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><p><strong>So... I think this has a lot of possibilities and a lot of different directions it can go in. Booth is not throughly convinced he's in love with her... but Brennan feels like she can never tell him of her feelings because his brain has been scrambled and she can't trust his reaction. Ohh... but something has to give.<strong>

**Thoughts? Directions or things you'd like to see explored?**


	6. Holes in the Mind

**Their first day together... getting closer and closer...**

**Review!**

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><p>"Bones... Bones..."<p>

Brennan's eyes flickered at her name before opening completely. She was laying on Booth's couch still, and judging by the light in his apartment, it was a little after dawn. A little after dawn and she should still be asleep.

"Bones?"

Her eyes moved to the man in front of her- the cause of her disturbed sleep. He stood before her in nothing but black boxer briefs and his tousled hair; he sure did look good for someone who just had major surgery. For anyone, actually. "Booth, what's wrong?"

"My head hurts..." he sounded like a child in a mans body.

She instantly sat up in bed, "Is it your stitches or does it feel like your brain?"

"Sorry, its my stitches," he realized he was accidentally causing her alarm. "The doctor gave you my pain medication. I didn't want to wake you but I couldn't find it."

Brennan sighed in relief. Head aches were something she was supposed to watch for as his caregiver, "Sorry, Booth. I think they're in my purse." Brennan pulled back her covers and went on the hunt for her handbag as Booth sat on the couch. Moments later she returned with two pills and a tall glass of cold water, "Here. They're strong, you won't have to take the next one for another eight hours."

Booth tossed the pills back and chased them with the water, "You're not a morning person, are you Bones?"

"I don't know what that means," she propped herself up on the other side of the couch surrounded by her pillow and blanket. No... she was not a morning person. "You should probably eat something..." Brennan sprang back up and suddenly returned with a muffin. "The medication may unsettle your stomach. This will help."

Booth looked down at the muffin; chocolate?

"Is something wrong, Booth?"

"Who eats chocolate muffins for breakfast?" He assumed it must be something she bought for herself.

She laughed, "You do. You always order chocolate muffins. Personally, I think its disgusting. Like having chocolate cake for breakfast- but that's why you like it. You love chocolate cake." She began to yawn and stretch back on her bed; soon to be sound asleep.

Booth just watched her as he began to nibble on the muffin. It was a little rich for a morning meal... but not too bad. He hated not being able to remember such simple things but he hoped it would improve. Once he was done, he noticed the soft breathing of his partner- it hadn't taken her long to fall back asleep. He grabbed the blanket he was sitting on and covered her with it, careful not to disturb her again. He was about to turn around and head back to his room when he was met with an overwhelming desire. Booth leaned down and placed a light kiss to her temple.

"Booth..." she smiled through her sleep.

He turned around and returned to his own bed.

The day past in a similar rhythm as this; she would take care of him while he stood back in wonder of her. He liked her attentiveness towards him, but every time he came across another blank space in his mind, he began to get more and more frustrated. It was at dinner that night where he finally snapped.

Brennan had made him grilled cheese using his grandfather's directions. When Booth asked where his grandfather was, she had to inform him that his grandfather was in a nursing home on the other side of town. Booth had completely forgotten. He threw down his fork and stormed off to his room. How could he have forgotten the man that took care of him when he was a kid? He could deal with forgetting the foods he liked or where he kept things in his apartment- but he couldn't deal with forgetting the people who mattered in his life.

Brennan knocked softly on his bedroom door. Suddenly Booth was overwhelmed with shame for storming out on her like that, "You can come in, Bones. I'm sorry about all that."

She opened the door to find him setting on the foot of his bed; head in his hands but he wasn't crying. "I'm sorry, Booth."

"Hey- its not you're fault. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just... I'm just mad. I shouldn't forget things like this," he scooted over so she could sit down next to him.

Brennan hated seeing him in pain like this and found herself at a loss for a way to comfort him. He was usually the one comforting her. Not the other way around. She wrapped her arm around his, "You didn't actually forget, Booth. The memory is still present... you just need to be reminded."

"Yeah, well, I shouldn't need to be reminded about things like this."

"Booth, you just had major surgery. You had a tumor... you have to allow yourself some recovery time," she sat her chin on his shoulder. In the past she had never dared to touch him so intimately- and it still wasn't even that intimate. But she remembered how when she was upset he would always hold her and it helped. Maybe this would help him even is she couldn't find the words. "You should try not to get upset. Its important that you rest right now."

"I just don't like operating at less than a hundred percent," he swung his arms around her body and pulled her close to him. "Thank you for making me dinner, Bones."

Suddenly uncomfortably aware of there closeness; she pulled herself from his arms. "It's getting cold, we should probably eat."

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><p><strong>Closer and closer...<strong>

**Time jump next!**

**Review and let me hear your thoughts!**


	7. Pushing of the Limits

**So here's the time jump. Its only a week.**

**Its a fun little chapter. Read and review!**

**Oh! And I DON"T own Bones!**

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><p>"How's it going, Sweetie?" Angela called Brennan late one night. It had been a little over a week since Brennan had moved in with Booth to help him recover. Currently she was relaxing on the couch with the latest issue of National Geographic; Booth had fallen asleep in the late afternoon after an early dinner.<p>

"It's been going well, Ange. Booth is improving- yesterday we were able to take off the bandage. He's healing quite satisfactorily."

"Very good to hear. Now, how are the both of you doing?" Angela hadn't just called for a status report of Booth's health.

"We're fine, Ange," Brennan spoke casually but she was glad that her best friend couldn't see the smile beaming from her face. The past week had actually been wonderful. Her whole life Brennan had assumed that she liked living alone- that she was meant to live alone. But things were so easy with Booth; so wonderfully and perfectly easy. There had been a couple tough moments when Booth would get frustrated with himself, but for the most part they were doing really well. Anyone from the outside would have assumed that they were actually a couple... well until they went to their separate beds."We're both great, Ange."

"Uh huh. You like playing house with, Agent B?" Although Angela couldn't see the smile for herself- she could hear it in Brennan's voice.

"I don't know what that means."

"You like living with Booth, don't you sweetie?"

"It's only temporary. I'm just here as a caregiver," It was rules of the arrangement and lately she felt the need to constantly remind herself of them before she got to far gone.

"It doesn't have to be temporary, sweetie..."

"Ange..."

"You both have something really special. You both know it. I saw you in that hospital, Bren. And I saw the way you looked at each other after he woke up... take this as a second chance," Angela was taking this as a second chance to make sure they were finally together herself. For years she had watched them both with very little meddling; hoping they would both come together at their own speed. Enough was enough now- life was too short and Booth's stint in the hospital reminder of it. "You were ready a week ago to tell him- don't back off now."

How did Angela know about her secret confession to herself? But before she could question her further, she saw the light in Booth's room turn on and the door begin to slowly open. "Angela, I've got to go." Call ended.

"Hey, Bones. What are you doing?" a newly awake Booth emerged from his nap. Wearing only a flannel pair of pajama bottoms- no shirt- never a shirt.

"Oh. I was just reading," She spoke awkwardly like she'd just been caught, even though she knew that wasn't possible. No way had he heard her telephone conversation. "Angela called. She wanted to see how you were doing."

Booth sat down on the other side of the couch from her, "Did you tell her I forgot how to tie my shoes?"

"No... do you not know how, Booth?" Brennan looked at him alarmed; he hadn't mentioned this to her.

"No- no Bones. I remember. It was a joke," He reached his hands forward and grabbed one of her feet; pulling it to his lap. "You have really small toes."

"My proximal phalanges are proportional to the rest of my foot," she said smartly; and tried to pull out of his grasp.

"They're tiny," he wouldn't let go of her. His fingers began kneading the ball of her foot. "They're tense too."

"They're... stop it," she tried to pull away from him again.

"Bones, relax." he continued is ministrations on her foot; telling that she was starting to like it.

"You have excellent knowledge of the adductor halliucis..." this actually felt kind of amazing.

"Well if you would relax a little bit, it would feel even better."

"What? I am relaxed."

"No you're not. You're tense. Just relax, Bones," he kept going on until he hit a particularly sensitive spot and she squirmed. "You ticklish, Bones?"

"No..." she protested. "Let go of my foot."

"No way, now that I know you're ticklish," He grabbed a tight hold on her foot; trying to find that same spot he'd just hit. When she squealed and convulsed back- he knew he had it.

"Booth- Booth! St- Stop it!" She was almost in pain from laughing so hard. Brennan kicked her leg back and forth- trying to free herself but he was relentless. "Please stop!"

He gave a billowing laugh, "I thought you weren't ticklish? Huh, Bones?" He loved watching her twist and turn as she tried to regain control.

"Stop!" She gave one hard kick at him and retracted her leg.

Booth lost his balance and he was sent hurling towards her. Suddenly he was laying on top of her; pitted between her legs. Their game now over.

Brennan stared frighteningly into his deep brown eyes. This was too far... but it felt good. Dangerous. Neither one of them moved; frozen together. Hot breath on each others neck.

Booth quickly moved back off of her. He'd pushed her too far and he could see the fear in her, "Sorry, Bones."

They sat in silently on opposite ends of the couch; both not wanting to acknowledge the awkward situation. It was only gravity. Only gravity.

Brennan slowly slid her other foot to him; nudging the out side of his thigh. Getting the hint he took her ankle in his hand with a light touch.

"No tickling me this time."

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><p><strong>Oh... closer and closer. Thought that was a fun chapter.<strong>

**Tell me what you think!**


	8. The Numbers on the Card

**Okay... this is an interesting... chapter...**

**teehee.**

**I don't own Bones.**

**Read and review!**

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><p>After almost two weeks of being home, it was time for Booth to return to the hospital for a physical and check on his progress. Although they knew Booth had been recovering extremely well, there was still an anxiousness as they waited for Booth's doctor. If there was something wrong with Booth that she hadn't caught, Brennan would never forgive herself. Booth in turn was praying that everything would go smoothly so he didn't have to take another step back in the progress he was making. Strangely, though, as they both stood in awkward silence- they were fixated on the same problem. Soon Booth wouldn't need Brennan.<p>

Hopefully not too soon; they both silently wished it. The last two weeks had been so nice, and for the first time since before they could both remember- they had never felt alone. How could they both possibly return to their quite and solitary lives?

"You look nervous," Booth broke the tension. He was sitting up on an examination table; dressed in a hospital nightgown.

"I'm not nervous... not my brain," she said coolly, but she certainly was.

"Come here," He called over too her. She walked to him casually and he took both her hands in his, "I'll be fine, Bones. You've taken good care of me."

"I feel like I'm being graded," she confessed.

"We'll ace it," he stroked the back of her hands with his fingers.

The door opened and they suddenly jumped back from each other like they were being caught. The doctor that came through the door was not Booth's typical doctor, but a slightly younger and taller one. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a very chiseled chin.

"Hi, sorry to keep you, folks waiting. I'm Dr. Jeffery Kane. Dr. Moore has been called away on a family emergency, but I've gone through your file and talked with him. You've got nothing to worry about," He flashed them both a charming and reassuring smile.

"When will Dr. Moore be back?" Brennan didn't know how she felt about a completely different doctor coming in.

"I'm not sure. If you would rather wait for him to return you're more than welcome too. But I would have to advise against waiting to long," he set Booth's file down; ready to go to work.

"What are your credentials?"

"Bones- come on. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. We can always come back again when Dr. Moore is here if it will make you feel better," Booth wasn't going to go another week without knowing his progress, but he was slightly thrilled by her protective nature.

"I interned and worked at John Hopkins for ten years- they have the best neurology department in the country by the way- and I graduated second in my class from North Western," he could tell she was sizing him up but he never flinched.

She nodded in slight approval. She had attended North Western as well, "Why did you leave John Hopkins?"

"Bones, come on."

"Be closer to my mom. She has cancer, if I live and work here and can get her the best treatment. Does that satisfy you? Or would you like me to fill out a questionnaire?" Dr. Kane was surprised at her forcefulness but didn't take it to hard. "You're girlfriend is very protective of you."

"Oh- I'm not."

"No we're not."

"Oh... sorry. I just assumed," Dr. Kane gave a slight smile as he began to examine Booth. So... she was single, maybe?

After a good thirty minutes of observation and about fifteen more minutes of questions, Dr. Kane came to his conclusions. Brennan and Booth both felt like they'd been holding their breath the entire time- maybe they even were a little bit.

"So how's it looking, Doc?"

"Things look great Mr. Booth. You're stitches are healing up extremely well; your responses are all on target. I'd like for you to come back in another three weeks just so we can stay updated, but other than that, I think you're in good shape. Just let us know if you're starting to get head aches or are experiencing any building pressure, okay?"

"Okay," Booth smiled and looked to Brennan who he could tell was equally relieved.

"You've done an excellent job of taking care of him Ms... sorry I don't think I caught your name?" Dr. Kane extended his hand out to her. It was her turn to be examined.

She shook his hand, "Temperance. Dr. Temperance Brennan."

He looked at her slightly surprised, "Oh, so you're a doctor?" He instantly assumed the medical kind like himself.

"Of anthropology. I'm a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian institute. I work with Booth."

"Well, let me give you my number," as Dr. Kane said it- Booth's ears perked up instantly. "Here. Just encase you have any questions. Don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you," Brennan put the card he handed her into her purse; she was completely oblivious to the flirtation.

"And..." Dr. Kane spoke a little softer. "If you'd like to have dinner with me sometime. Please- please. Don't hesitate with that call," He smiled at her. She was fiery, hot, and obviously smart- he'd be an idiot if he didn't give her his number.

For a brief moment, Brennan forgot that Booth was in the room and enjoyed the attention she was getting, "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks Doc," Booth interrupted their little moment in the corner. Who did this guy think he was? Completely unprofessional.

"Yes, well. Nice to see both of you. I've got another appointment I've got to run too. I'll see you both- or Dr. Moore will see you- in three weeks," He turned to leave out the door but not before getting another glance at Temperance. "Hopefully I'll see you a little sooner than that."

Booth watched as he finally left. He would not be seeing that doctor again- that was certain. But when he looked over to Bones he saw her smiling to herself- she was almost giddy.

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><p><strong>Okay. I know... you're all like... How they hell is this new Doctor? BUT... BUT... there's more than you think. I have a plan. And it's not a "Hannah" type plan. Relax!<strong>

**But do give me your thoughts and reviews!**


	9. Truth from the Heart

**Okay... so this is a BIG chapter. BIG things are happening.**

**So read and review and tell me how much you love... or hate... me**

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><p>"Do you not like it?" Brennan watched Booth push his dinner around his plate. He'd been relatively quite since they had returned from the hospital and hadn't spoke a word since they sat down for dinner. Although Brennan had never been very perceptive at reading people, she could sense he was upset with her.<p>

"It's fine, Bones," He didn't look at her but he took a small bite.

"You're upset with me," Brennan could think of no possible reason for him to be treating her this way; what could she have possibly done wrong?

"Let it go, Bones," He took another bite.

She glared back at him, "Fine."

"Good."

Brennan began eating rapidly even though she knew it was bad for digestion. She was going to finish eating, clean up the kitchen, and then she was going to find a reason to excuse herself back to her own apartment for the evening. For the first time in weeks, her desires turned back to being alone. And from what she could tell, as had his. It had been fun to fool herself into thinking they could coexist forever with out argument or confrontation like this- but now it was time to come back to reality. She finished her meal and went to the sink to rinse it before loading it in the dishwasher. The next moment all the food she prepared was wrapped and stored in the kitchen; nothing else to do but get out of the apartment.

Booth watched Brennan grab her bag and put on her shoes, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to my apartment for the evening. I'll be back later," she said simply; heading for the door.

"Bones, look..."Booth stood up; about to go after her.

"What?" She turned around quickly and snapped back at him. Her stomach tightened slightly... she wished he was about to stop her.

"Nothing. You want to go, you can go."

"I know," she spoke very matter of factly. "If you need me, you can call."

"Bones..." Again his reflex to catch her stepped in.

"What Booth?" She was getting agitated. If he needed her to stay, he should say so, if not he should allow her to be on her way.

"I... I don't want you to call him," It was time for him to confess what he had been thinking all day.

"Call who?" Brennan needed Booth to be a little more specific than that.

"Dr. Kane. I don't want you to call him," Suddenly the weight of what he was saying started to catch up to him; he began to back pedal. "I don't think you should be dating one of my doctors. It would just be weird."

"Booth, it's really none of your business who I date. He's not even your doctor," Brennan had completely forgotten about the doctor, but it was clear to her Booth had been thinking about it all day. "Why does this matter to you?"

"I just don't think it would be a good idea, Bones."

"So I can't purse a romantic interest with someone just because you don't think its a good idea?" that reasoning sounded completely ludicrous to her.

"Why not me?" he put himself out there. Time to take the risk. No looking back, "Why has it never been me? Why have you and I never..."

Brennan stood there; shocked and frozen. Where they finally going there now? "Booth... the FBI... they won't let us work together."

"That's it? That's our only reason?" He began walking towards her; he had no idea what he would do once he finally reached her.

"Booth..." her eyes turned to the floor.

"What happened? It's all I can think about. It wasn't just a dream, Bones. I know it wasn't- being here with you- its proof that it was more than a dream. It feel so right- you have to feel that too," His hand smoothed over her cheek and turned her eyes up to him. "I must have felt this way before. I can't imagine that I didn't. I can't imagine ever not feeling this way about you. So what happened?"

She shook her head happened. True... she really didn't even know the answer. "We work together, Booth. There are lines that we can't cross."

"Who says?"

"You did," She looked at him for the first time; tears forming. "You said that there has to be a line."

Booth suddenly felt sick to his stomach, "Let me take it back, Bones. Please let me take it back."

"No, Booth," She backed away from him. If she continued to let him hold her like that, she knew in another minute she'd never let him let go of her. "You were right," and for all she knew... maybe this wasn't even Booth talking. "I think this is just another thing you're confused about."

"Bren..."

"It's Bones," A tear snuck down her cheek and she quickly whipped it away.

"It's still me. You know it is..." Booth took a deep breath; he prayed he didn't cry infront of her.

"Please don't look so sad," she wanted to reach out and hold him. Tell him all the things she'd been feeling... but no.

"It's okay," It wasn't going to force her or guilt her.

"Would you like me to stay?" She almost regretted asking on the chance he would say no.

"You know you can."

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><p><strong>So I guess this was like my "100th episode" AU of Bones.<strong>

**Made me sad... yes. But at least its out there! And no... there will be no "Maluku" or "Hannah" so stay tuned!**

**Review!**


	10. Questions of the Past

**So here's a longer chapter... with some BIG things going on. Big!**

**Enjoy! And thanks for all the reviews! Love hearing your feed back so keep it coming!**

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><p>They spoke very little to one another over the next two days. Booth could tell that she felt uncomfortable around him now, so he decided to give her some space. As much as she hated being without him, she was grateful for the distance. After his confession she didn't have the slightest clue how she should act around him; she wished she could go back to that night and keep herself from letting him stop her. If she had just left like she planned, he would have never been able to tell her of his feelings and she never would have been able to reject him. They would have both been able to continue in there ignorant bliss with their feeling both deeply buried. Things were far complicated now.<p>

Rationally, she knew she had done the right thing by rejecting him; there were plenty of practical reason. But as she watched him quietly move about the apartment, she couldn't help but recognize a hopelessness in him. He looked as if he felt like the most unlovable creature and her heart ached at not being able to tell him it wasn't so. After two days of this, Brennan finally had to leave the apartment for a day, so she called Angela for lunch. It occurred to her that Angela would more than likely bring up Booth... but some how talking about Booth seemed much easier than looking at him.

"You seem really dazed, Sweetie," Angela couldn't help but noticed as they ate."What's going on?"

Brennan shrugged at the question, "I'm just a little tired."

"Are things not going well with studly?" When they first arrived at the diner Angela had asked... but now she was getting the feeling that things weren't as fine as Brennan had initially made out. "Did things not go well at his doctor's appointment?"

Her eyes widened at the question; an obvious give away,"I..."

"Oh my God, Bren- is Booth okay? It's not... I thought they got it all..." Angela was suddenly starting to panic.

"No- no. That's not it, Angela. Booth has been recovering quite satisfactorily. Something happened while we were at the hospital..." She wasn't sure if she wanted to continue.

"Oh... Oh! Something happened..." Angela remarked suggestively with a sly smile. "Something happened..."

"Yes... Why are you saying it like that?"

"Just go on, Sweetie."

"Booth's doctor was absent due to a family emergence, so we met with another doctor. He gave me his telephone number and implied that he would like me to call him for a dinner with romantic and sexual implications."

"Oh God," Angela threw her fork down on her plate; she knew exactly where this was going. "And Booth got pissed, right?"

Brennan was shocked at her accuracy, "Yes. How did you know that?"

"Seriously, sweetie?" Angela couldn't believe how oblivious Brennan could be sometimes. "If a guy stands a little too close to you Booth starts smoking!"

"Booth doesn't smoke..."

"Steaming. Fuming. Think metaphorical, sweetie. Booth goes crazy anytime another man takes an interest in you. Tell me you haven't noticed how extra irritable he is when you're dating someone? Or how when he finds out your sleeping with a guy, he always tries to find ways for us to stay later at the lab? I can't tell you how many extra hours I've clocked in just because you were getting some."

"Booth has always been protective of me... I know that," Brennan wasn't that oblivious to his actions, but she usually wrote it off as him being concerned for her well being. Not jealousy.

"He's more than protective, Bren," Angela hoped Brennan knew what she was implying. "So anyway, tell me what happened after this doctor asked you out? Was he hot? Did Booth's head explode?"

"He was... very pleasing. The ratio of his zygomatic and mandible was very appealing..." Brennan had recognized his good looks, sure, but that was all. "I was flattered that he was interested in me... but I had no intention of calling him. But that didn't seem to matter to Booth..."

"I never does..." Angela said wistfully. "So what'd he do?'

"Nothing. He didn't say anything. But I could tell that he was very tense about something, and when I asked him about it at dinner he got upset. He was upset with me. So... I was going to leave..." Brennan wasn't sure how much more this story she wanted to share.

"What happened?"

"He told me he didn't want me to call Dr. Kane," Brennan took a deep breath. "And then he asked me why it had never been him. Why we had never..."

Angela sighed, "I'm guessing this doesn't end with you jumping into his arms?"

"I told him that we work together. That there are lines- which he set up and we cannot cross those for good reason."

"Oh, God. He was crushed wasn't he?" Angela's heart went out to Booth; she knew how hard that must have been for him.

"I told him that I thought he was confused," Brennan confessed quietly. She hated that she said that to him, but she still thought it was true. "He looked so sad."

"Poor Booth. Sweetie... why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"I did tell him the truth, Angela," As far as Brennan could see there hadn't been a single lie.

Angela shook her head and took hold of Brennan's hand. "No, why didn't you tell him how you feel?"

Brennan began to protest,"I don't feel..."

"No. You do. We all know it. We all see it. We've make bets about it around the lab..."

"Bets?"

Oops... Angela hadn't meant to let that one go," Its a very small pool... its just me... and Cam and Hodgins... and Sweets... and a few of your interns..."

"How do you make bets about this?" Brennan was slightly offended.

"Well... we all put in twenty five bucks... in a pool. And then we guess weeks in the calendar that we think you and Booth will finally..." Angela felt slightly ashamed...

"You make bets for when you believe Booth and I will engage in intercourse?"

"See... now that sounds slightly vulgar. Its more like... when you will both be honest with one another..." Which would probably be followed by the intercourse...

"That's horrible."

"I know... my week was coming up too. I had seventy five bucks riding on this..."Angela looked down at her salad. Defeated.

"I thought you said it was twenty five?"

"Well... we've been playing for along time..." Angela sat up and looked her friend in the eyes. "Listen. I'm not telling you this because of the bet. I'm telling you this because you're my best friend and I care about your happiness, okay? Tell him, Bren. He's still the same guy."

"Then why didn't he say something before?" It was the question she'd constantly been asking herself since that night. "Why didn't he say this before?"

"Well... he had a tumor. Maybe he wasn't able to think clearly. He saw that life with you... and he sees it now. Let him love you," Angela was pleading with her now.

"I..."

"Go to him. Put on some sexy lingerie. Let him love you."

Meanwhile...

Brennan had been gone for about an hour when the phone call came. All day he'd lied in bed, tossing and turning, wishing he could just sleep through this reality. Wishing he could go back to his dream world where his bed wasn't so empty.

"Booth."

"Hello," the woman on the phone began. "I'm calling from from Bethesda fertility clinic in regards to your donation..."

"My donation?" Booth didn't have the slightest idea of what she was talking about.

"Yes, the deposit that you made last month for a Ms. Temperance Brennan. Our records show that she hasn't picked up your deposit. We weren't sure if you had changed your mind or not. We can keep it for as long as you like- but if you have changed your mind we'd like to know so we can dispose of it or, if you'd like to, we can put it up as a public offer."

"A public offer?" was this woman crazy? Did she have the wrong number?

"Yes, it would require some additional information and paper work if you're interested. Or, if you and Ms. Brennan are still thinking over your decision we can keep your donation until your ready to have her inseminated."

Booth's heart stopped. Insemination? When had this happened?

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><p><strong>So Booth has no memory of their "let's have a baby" stint right before his surgery. Its apparently very common to lose the last couple days before you have brain surgery or even a week or so prior. So he wouldn't have remembered this. And Brennan didn't tell him...<strong>

**Ohh... what will happen when she gets home?**


	11. The Author of the Dream

**Sorry it took me a while to put this one up. I wanted to make sure I knew where I was going. I have a couple more plot twists and turns and I wanted to see if I should add them or wait for them. As of now I'm waiting... so more to look forward too.**

**Another BIG chapter. **

**REVIEWWWW!**

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><p>Brennan shoved her key into the lock of Booth's apartment, in the past three weeks it had almost become second nature to her as if it were her own place. On the way back from her lunch with Angela, Brennan made a quick stop at her actual apartment. She had gone with the intention to pick up some more clothes and check her mail, but as she left she impulsively found herself giving into Angela's advice. A couple pairs of her lingerie made their way into her bag before she was out the door. A classy black and white set, a lacy deep burgundy, and a hardly legal red number. She cursed herself for it- there was a line she promised not to cross. Still, the ever prepared side of her won over- IF it happened- she wanted to look good for him.<p>

But it wasn't going to happen. She repeated this over and over in her mind as she drove back to Booth's. Wasn't going to happen. No. They couldn't. No. No. No.

When she opened the door to Booth's apartment, however, her temptation was quickly forgotten. Booth as on the couch staring into a small circular container in front of him. When his eyes looked up to meet her's, it was not the look of love that she'd come accustom too. She stood silent; unaware of what was going on or how to approach it.

"I got a phone call today," he finally spoke. "Apparently, you never picked up my sperm."

"Oh..." Brennan's blood suddenly rushed cold. "I meant to call them..."

"Yeah."

"I didn't forget, I just... wasn't going to."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" He stood up angrily. "I made this deposit two days before my surgery. You knew I didn't remember!"

"I didn't think it mattered," that had been her rational reason. "Before your surgery you asked me not to inseminate myself- and I agreed- you had a tumor, Booth. It didn't matter... that was more important."

"Still, you don't think you could have told me about this? I was about to make a huge life changing decision, and you didn't think it mattered?" His voice rose at her. Not quite a yell, but the farthest he'd ever come to yelling at her.

"We decided against it, Booth. And it wouldn't have been life changing for you. You were just a donor. That was all- the child would have been completely my own responsibility. You would have had no obligations to it" she couldn't understand why he was so offended and upset with her- he had seemed fine when she propositioned him.

"You just wanted me to be a donor?" Booth couldn't comprehend these words. "You wanted me to get you pregnant but you didn't want me apart of my own child's life?"

"You wouldn't have been getting me pregnant. A doctor would have inseminated me with your sperm," she could tell that technicality was lost on him. "It wasn't that I didn't want you involved, Booth. This was a decision I had made on my own and I didn't want you to feel obligated... or have your life changed just because I was changing mine."

"I don't understand this..." Booth shook his head. Any way she spun it- it still stung him.

"You're an amazing father," she spoke softly and tried to catch his gaze. "I just... it was my decision. It wasn't yours. I didn't want you to bare a burden because of me, so I wanted to keep you strictly as a donor and nothing more. But... you explained to me that you didn't want me having a child by you if you couldn't be in its life. And I accepted that. I understood. I'm sorry if I made you feel inadequate."

Booth sat back down on the couch; rubbing his hands over his temples. He understood her reasoning- well, he understood it in a Bones kind of way,"Why did you want me? Why did you want me as your donor?"

"You're... you have traits which would have been very valuable. You are compassionate and empathetic. You're kind. You have a very admirable code of ethics. You can be quite humorous..."

His stern look broke to a slight smile.

"Sometimes. You can be quite humorous... sometimes," she sat down next too him. "Genetically... you are also very well... structured."

"Well structured?"

Brennan felt herself blush, "You are handsome."

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to bring his hands up to her and pull her in. Lay her down and give her all the love he had. Instead he settled with, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she was suddenly just as aware as he was of their closeness. "Are you still upset with me?"

He didn't know how to answer; so he just ignored it. "Are you still going to try and have a baby?"

"No... I've done some more thinking and... rationally... it's probably not the best time," She said that knowing that she probably didn't have much of a window still open.

"That book you were writing... the book I dreamed about... that wasn't just a story, was it?" His eyes locked to hers. He wanted an honest answer now.

"It was just a book."

"But... you were pregnant."

"Not me. The character."

"It was you."

"It wasn't."

"It was your dream..."

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><p><strong>OH! Booth just called Brennan out. Now that he knows about the baby he knows about her secret little fantasy... Booth, her and a baby.<strong>

**REVIEW!**


	12. Noise from the Outside

**So this is one of those chapters that you actually have to read all the way through. Or you might miss something or you might get confused. Some interesting things...**

**Review it! Give me your reactions!**

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><p>Booth had been in a deep slumber when the knock on his door awoke him. His eyes tiredly looked up to find is partner and temporary roommate standing at the door. She hadn't waited from him to allow her permission to enter; more of a warning that she was coming. He noticed she looked different from when he'd last seen her; her make up was done with dark smokey eyes and her hair curled to just above her shoulders. Around her she clenched a black silky robe; one he'd seen her in numerous times but there was something new about it.<p>

"I have a question," She finally spoke; fear entering her eyes as she did. "If I agree to allow you to be apart of our baby's life- would you do this for me?"

"You're asking me to... to have a baby with you?" Booth sat up immediately. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing.

"Yes," she nodded and looked away embarrassed. "I would like you to father a child with me. Is this something that appeals to you?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she spoke simply.

"Then, yes," He couldn't believe he was agreeing but he knew his answer beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Brennan's hands left the fabric of her robe and let it pool around her feet. She stood before him in the smallest and laciest intimates he'd ever seen. Never had he seen a more beautiful sight as she stood before him in vulnerability and lust. Slowly she made her way to the foot of his bed before crawling up and laying beside him.

"I'm ready," She gasped as she stared up at the ceiling. "Am I arousing enough? Or do you need more stimuli?"

He moved his body over hers, "You're... you're more than enough". As the words came out of his mouth, he wondered what extra stimuli he was giving up. But as he caught her eyes with his... suddenly that didn't matter. Love and lust... they both had been waiting for this.

His lips came down to meet hers. On the slightest touch; she flinched. Looking at her, he could tell she was nervous and he wanted to set her at ease. How could them being together- how could that ever be a bad idea? His hand came up to stroke her cheek for some reassurance, but the moment his hand touched her flesh, she jolted back from him.

"Bones... are you okay?" Looking at her... it looked like she was in actual physical pain.

"I'm sorry," she spoke hardly above a whisper.

"Bones, you have nothing to be sorry for," his hand stoked her shoulder.

At his touch she cried out in pain, "Please stop. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Booth pulled back from her. Something was certainly wrong; she was suddenly shaking and her breathing became erratic, "Bones, what's going on? I'm sorry, Bones. We don't have to do this. I'm sorry..."

"Please stop..." she cried and looked at him with fear.

"Bones, I've stopped. I'm sorry," He'd never seen her like this. He wanted to reach out for her but he was afraid he would only startle her more.

"I didn't mean too. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she said, as Booth looked down at her, suddenly her beautiful skin was marked. The cheek he had just stroked was now a deep purple. The perfect lips he had just kissed were now busted and pouring blood. Her whole body was bruising right before his eyes.

"Bones... what's going on? What's happening?" Without thinking he reached his hand out to hold hers but she instantly pulled away.

She brought her hands over her face and shook in terror, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Please stop..."

Booth backed away from her more; he wanted to help her but ever time he got close it seemed like he only hurt her more. Her whole body looked bruised and battered. How had this happened?

A crash came from outside his bedroom door.

"Do you hear me? I'm fucking sick of all this!" a voice from Booth's past came from outside his bedroom door. He turned to look; hoping he was mistaken.

"I'm sorry," Another voice whimpered from beyond the door like Brennan's. "Please stop yelling."

"Hey-Hey- stop fucking crying!" The other voice over powered the one of the woman's.

Booth stood up and went to the door slowly. He couldn't be sure- but something about the voices was all too familiar.

"I'm sorry. I'll stop... you're going to upset the boys..."

Booth recognized the outside voice immediately then, "Mom?"

Suddenly the sound of a tussle came from from outside his door. Booth was about to run out after it, but looked back to the woman on his bed first...

Brennan was gone.

Booth frantically opened his bedroom door- he expected to find his father and mother on the other side. He expected to run in and save his mother- but his apartment melted away from around him. He looked down at his body... he was now in his old desert storm uniform with a rifle in his hand. Around him was no longer his apartment- now he was in some god forsaken desert. Sand was everywhere- and the sun beamed down hard.

POP POP POP.

Booth turned around to hear the familiar sound of gun fire. Then suddenly everything when black.

#####

"Agent Booth, agent Booth."

Booth eyes slowly opened. He was back in his bedroom and in his own bed. "Bones?"

"No, agent Booth. It's Lance," Dr. Lance Sweets stood next too Booth's bed. "I thought you were having a seizure so I rushed in here. I think you were just have a nightmare, though."

Taking in his surroundings, Booth sobered up. "It was just a bad dream, Sweets. I'm fine. Go back to bed."

"Do you want to talk about it?" the doctor pried.

"No, Sweets. I don't want to talk about it. Now get out of my bedroom," Booth turned back over in his bed. No way was he discussing it.

"Okay... but I'm here if you ever want to talk," Sweets dismissed himself back to the living room; closing the door behind him.

Booth looked at the empty bed he lay in. Brennan wasn't there; she'd never been there to begin with. In the last twenty-four hours, Brennan had packed up her things and left Booth's apartment. Sweets had been called in as a replacement. Brennan had claimed she was only leaving because she was needed at some Indonesian dig... but Booth new the truth. He'd pushed her too far. Tomorrow afternoon she planned on boarding a plane and getting thousands of miles away.

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><p><strong>Okay... I hope you understood that. Basically, Booth had a nightmare where he thought Brennan was asking to have a baby with him... but instead of making love... it was like he was abusing her (he wasn't. But she thought he was and she was becoming bruised before his eyes). Then, he hears is father beating up his mother outside the door- so he goes to save his mother. But instead he's suddenly in the middle east surrounded by gunfire. Then he wakes up. Turns out it was all a dream. Sweets is now staying with Booth. And Brennan packed up and left him- saying she has work in Indonesia. But we all know better...<strong>

**So keep reading. Do you really think she'll leave? Can she be stopped?**

**Review and let me hear your reactions to this. Hope I freaked you guys out with the whole Brennan going to him... teehee...**


	13. Breaking of the Dam

**So this is an extra LONG... chapter. I usually keep all my chapters around a 1,000 words... but this one is almost 2,000. So much had to be covered!**

**Review it! Review it!**

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><p>Brennan laid sleepless in bed. On the floor by her bedroom door, her bags were packed for her flight the next day. Two small bags for two months in Indonesia; it would be enough. Since she was fifteen she'd learned to travel lite and after all these years she was some what of an expert. Everything she could possibly need was packed in those two bags... sort of.<p>

Her mind continued to return to Booth. What she had done to him was horrible and she knew it. Maybe she had justified leaving him with the Indonesia offer, but alone in her bed, she knew the truth of it. She had always found honesty painfully easy- when it came to other people. But when it came to herself, that was another matter.

She laid in her bed of shame; contemplating how the next two months would play out. How would she face Cam and Angela? She knew this would be nearly impossible to justify to them. And facing Booth? Part of her just wanted to crawl under a rock at the thought. He would have never treated her this way... No. She was leaving because her expertise were needed elsewhere. It wasn't an excuse... it was a reason.

Her eyes closed and she tried in vain to get some sleep; this would be the last time she would be sleeping in an actual bed for two months and it needed to be taken full advantage of. Her body, however, had other ideas. It tossed and turned while her arms clung around her pillow. For the past four years, this had been her Booth pillow. She used to hold it at night and imagine it was his broad chest and her sheets were his warm arms. It was a thought she only indulged in at the deepest hours of the night, when her mind was the most defenseless. They would hold one another in silence as their fingertips drew lazy circles over one eachother's skin. More often than not, she would try to dismiss these thoughts as nothing more than a manifestation of loneliness which she sought to cure with the image of protective male figure. Since Booth was the primary masculine protective figure in her life- it made sense that her mind would sublimate him in this fantasy. It was psychology... but it was psychology that protected her... so she allowed it with much disdain.

Laying alone now, it occurred to her that this would probably always be nothing more than a fantasy.

Maybe Booth did love her. Maybe she could leave her apartment at this moment, run to his, and be greeted with a warm embrace. Maybe. Maybe if she was a different woman. A tear rolled down to her pillow. She wanted to give him everything... but she didn't know how to give herself.

Morning came eventually. No more than she had finally dosed off- her alarm clock went rang. It was time to get up and succumb to the situation she had just chosen for herself. Perhaps it would be good for all parties- it was wishful thinking.

Eventually she dragged herself out of bed, showered and dressed. After a brief once over on her apartment, she grabbed her bag and left.

... ... ...

Booth had spent his night in a similar restless state. After waking from his nightmare, he was finding it difficult to trust himself to close his eyes. In previous nights he had gone to bed hopeful to return to his blissful world with Brennan. He prayed for that other world- even if it wasn't real. It was all different now; his dreams betrayed him.

He was grateful for the first sight of morning- now able release himself from his bed. Sweets would be waiting for him, but it was better than laying alone with his thoughts.

"Hey, Sweets," He acknowledged the kid waking from his couch in cartoon pajamas. Figured.

"Yo..." he spoke like a tired high school student. "I mean... morning Agent Booth. You sleep okay? I mean after the nightmare and all."

Booth went to the kitchen to make himself a bowl of cereal. Was Sweets really going to bring it up first thing? "I slept fine, Sweets. Like a baby."

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" Sweets followed Booth into the kitchen. "I have studied extensively on dream interpretation- I may be able to..."

"Look, Sweets. Sometimes a banana is just a banana," maybe it would be a good idea to eat his breakfast in his room.

"You had a nightmare about a banana?"

"What? No- I didn't dream about a banana..." Wow, that would be awkward.

"Banana's are usually interpenetrated as repressed sexual urges..."

"I didn't dream about a damn banana!"

"So what did you dream about?" Sweets had to ask, it was his natural curiosity. "You dreamed about Dr. Brennan didn't you?"

Booth looked up and glared at him, "I know she's not my wife, Sweets."

"But you dreamed about her didn't you?"

Booth wavered, "She came to me last night..."

"In a sexual manner?"

Booth shot him another look. Maybe Sweets was trying to be clinical but he didn't like anyone referencing or implying those kinds of things about her. "She wanted me to get her... she told me she wanted a child with me."

Sweets nodded his head, this wasn't shocking, "Did you... agree... to do this for Dr. Brennan?"

"Well, yeah. It was a dream. I wouldn't have actually agreed to it like that, but I don't know, I wasn't thinking rationally. So we... we were about to, but every time I touched her, she would be in pain," Booth cringed as he recalled it all. "Her body was bruising all over and she kept crying me and begging me to stop. And I did... but,"

"Did you wake up after this?"

"No. I heard something outside my door. It uhh... It was my dad. Beating up on my mom," he could still hear her pleas fresh in his mind. "I opened the door to stop him... but I wasn't in my apartment anymore. I was back in the rangers. Gunfire... I woke up."

Sweets nodded, "I see."

"What do you see?" Booth was annoyed.

"It seems to me that your mind is trying to process reason for your rejection from Dr. Brennan."

That stung, Booth. "Okay. So?"

"You're afraid that you're going to hurt her- probably not physically but metaphorically. Maybe your a little afraid you already have. Then there are some other considerations- why did she reject you?"

"Because there's a line. We work together. We can't cross that line. It's not right," Booth regurgitated her reason.

"Maybe. That's not actually the reason, but that's not the point. I think you're more concerned that Dr. Brennan doesn't... how would she put it? You're worried that she rejected you because she doesn't think you're a good mate. That she doesn't want you because of you. That's what really scares you. Maybe she doesn't want you because of the abuse and violence in your past."

"You think that's why she doesn't want to be with me?" Booth asked in earnest.

"No," Sweets simply and quickly dismissed the thought. "Not at all. But that doesn't stop you from fearing and thinking it."

"So what is it then?" Booth gave up. Maybe the kid had the answers, he sure as hell didn't. "She doesn't feel the same."

"No, she most certainly exhibits similar feelings as your own. She just not as expressive with them. Agent Booth, you must know you mean the world to her. You are one of the very very few males in her life to give her genuine respect as a woman."

"I do respect her!" Booth exclaimed proudly as if she were there to hear it.

"And she recognizes that. Dr. Brennan has very little trust in people, as you know. A good deal of that stems from her being abandoned in her teenage years-" Sweets suddenly caught himself. "I really shouldn't be discussing another one of my patients with you."

Booth was suddenly too caught up in what Sweets was saying to let him stop, "Don't think of me as a patient, Sweets. Think of me as a friend... giving me advice on another friend."

Sweets smiled at the use of 'friend'. "Well... as a friend. I would say, that you my friend, are in love with a woman who is extremely afraid to lose you from her life. She's acutely aware of how good you treat her. Most men in her life have only treated her well because of her genius or because they view her as a sexual object. You treat her well based on her character- and you better than anyone know the extent of that character. Sometimes, in order to keep you, she feels she must put distance between the two of you. Metaphorical. Emotional. Physical... sexual."

"Do you think she loves me?" Booth hated that he had to ask.

"Speaking to you as a friend... I think she definitely does."

"What about me? Do you think I felt this way before?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't I tell her? Why did it take me having massive surgery to realize what I feel for her?"

"Your surgery and the dream you experienced... it broke the dam. It was my theory that you could never kiss- because if you did- the dam would break. The stale mate that your in would be over. You would both be opening yourself for risks you weren't sure if you were ready for. But in that coma with doctor Brennan- the dam broke. For you at least."

"But I've had dreams about Bones before..." Booth had certainly had plenty of those over the years. Ones her definitely would not be discussing with Sweets.

"It wasn't a dream, Agent Booth. It was a four day coma."

Booth grabbed his keys. He knew he wasn't supposed to be driving- but there was a dam he had to break.

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><p><strong>So... Booth is going after her. Will he get to her in time? Can he change her mind? OOOOooo don't you want the next chapter? <strong>

**Review review!**


	14. Visit from the Past

**So my hits for the last chapter (I think because I posted it at an odd hour and because I updated it twice that day) are unusually low. So you might want to go back and see if you've read the last chapter before you read this one. :D**

**I had another chapter written for this one... with a completely completely different storyline. Hope I made the right pick. Read this and then I'll put a summery at the end of what I originally wrote. You can tell me if you like this one more. Hope you do!**

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><p>Booth's breath was rapid as he ran through the parking garage of Brennan's building. His eyes scanned around for her car and he didn't see it- maybe she had just parked elsewhere- he couldn't have missed her. That wasn't allowed. He had to catch her; he couldn't let her fly off to some jungle without giving it one more shot. She had to feel it too and if he could just kiss her; hold her in his arms the way she had held him in his dream, maybe then she would see it too.<p>

His hand formed a fist as he got up the nerve to knock on her door. After all this rushing, now there was hesitation. This knock could change his life forever. Brennan could open the door and let him take her in his arms while he kissed the daylights out of her. She could wrap her arms around him and they could live happily ever after... Or she could slap him.

Knock... knock.

Booth waited; hands sweating. No answer.

"Hey, Bones. It's me. Open up!" he knocked again. But he was still getting no answer. His hands went to the spare key he had; Brennan had given it to him to use in emergencies... maybe now was a good time to put it to use? "Bones, are you in there? I'm... I'm coming in!"

He placed the key in the door and popped it open. He was still hopping to find her on the other side; but found nothing. Booth walked slowly around her apartment- before he let reality set in. She was gone. He missed her.

... ... ...

Brennan sat in the terminal awaiting her flight. She had taken an early flight from DC to New York, and was was now awaiting on her direct connection to Indonesia. After a good two hours of waiting, her flight would be boarding soon and she would be on her way out of the country and as far away from DC as she could possibly get. This working vacation would be good for her; it was the argument she continued to give herself. Time away would give her perspective and maybe Booth would be better without her around. Maybe he would be thinking more rationally when she returned and he would be ready to continue their strictly professional partnership.

Her body went sick at the thought.

No more thinking of Booth; she tried to keep the thoughts away and return to the latest National Geographic she'd just bought. It looked like she would be reading a lot on this trip in a vain attempt to distract herself. Apparently a parasite had been discovered in Ancient African remains._ Schistosoma mansoni. _Fascinating. _  
><em>

"Brennan?"

Her head automatically perked up at the sound. No more than seven feet in front of her stood former special agent Eugene Sully. It had been two years since she'd seen him, and JFK airport was the last place she thought she'd see him again."Sully? Hi," Brennan instantly stood up to hug him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm catching a flight back to DC. Are you..."

"Oh. No, I'm going to Indonesia. I was just in DC," The former lovers sat back down together. It was a little awkward but they had left on somewhat good terms. Both wishing the other well.

"Oh! Wow. I just thought with Booth..." Sully was certainly surprised by this.

"Why is Booth relevant?" It felt like she couldn't go anywhere without people wondering about her and Booth. It was getting to be a little much. "I was asked to be apart of a dig in Indonesia..."

"Oh. I just... I heard about Booth's surgery last month, I just thought. I'm sorry I shouldn't have assumed," Sully suddenly felt very uncomfortable... Brennan had a knack for doing that to people. "So I guess he's doing well?"

"Yes. He's doing fine," Brennan had been trying to forget Booth all day and now she was forced into talking about him.

Sully could tell he had just walked into something. Time for a subject change, "So how are you doing?"

"Very well."

"Good. I've kept up with Cam and Booth a little bit. You know, email and all. I always meant to e-mail you, but I didn't know if you wanted to hear from me," Sully flashed his charming smile at her. He hadn't changed a bit.

"You could have e-mailed me..." the air between them suddenly got tense. "How are you? How did your charter business go?"

"Ehh... It was okay. I actually ended up selling the boat. I'm living in Barbados now, met a girl there. She's a teacher- we got a kid on the way," Sully smiled at the thought.

"Congratulations, Sully," Looking in his eyes, she saw a kind of happiness she knew she never could have brought him.

"Thanks, I'm just coming back here to tie up a couple lose ends. I got some stuff still in storage I got to move now that I'm not coming back to DC," Sully looked at her afraid to ask what was next. "Are you... I'm sorry maybe I shouldn't be asking you this... but are you having a baby, Bren?"

Brennan's eyes widened at the thought. She'd been asked this many times in the last month, but it always surprised her. "No. Why do you think I'm pregnant?"

"I just heard something from Cam about you... I'm sorry Bren," Sully didn't know how this conversation could have possibly got more awkward but it did. "You look great. You don't look..." His eyes scanned over her body. A body he had once considered his and he felt instantly guilty about it. "You look... great."

"Thank you..."

"I guess I just heard wrong..."

"Well... I was going to have a child. But I decided against it," she admitted.

"Yeah. I guess I just heard that you were thinking about it... But I should have known with Booth's surgery and all."

"It wouldn't have been appropriate," she shifted in her seat. He had know idea just how inappropriate.

He reached out for her hand. Strictly a friendship touch and nothing more, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," she suddenly felt naked. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Sully shrugged, "I don't know Bren. Booth having brain surgery and all. You guys were planning to have a baby together..."

"Not together. Booth would have been just a donor," she corrected him. "Booth and I are not together."

"Oh."

"We're just partners."

Sully nodded as he processed the information. It made no sense, "But you were going to have a baby with him?"

"Not with him. He was just a donor," again she clarified.

"So that never happened? You and Booth?"

"No... we're just partners, Sully. I told you," she could see sadness in his eyes. She didn't understand.

"That's too bad. You know... I always thought the reason you didn't go with me was because of Booth."

"No... I didn't go with you because I couldn't live a purposeless life. It had nothing to do with Booth," She wasn't sure if she was convincing him or herself.

"Nah... I think it was him," he could tell he was making her uncomfortable but maybe he needed to tell her. "You know... I was going to fight for you. For you to go with me- so I could keep you. I was all ready too. But then it occurred to me... you were never mine to begin with. You and Booth... you had something special together. We were great but I wasn't the one for you."

"Sully..."

"He loves you Bren."

This surprised her, "How do you know this?"

"Well he told me once. A little over a year ago I was back in DC. And I went out for drinks with some of the old guys from the Hoover," He began to explain the story.

"Booth never told me you were in town..."

Sully smiled. He had figured this much," Yeah... he wouldn't, would he? Anyway... Booth got really drunk. I'm mean he was completely smashed. And he... uh... he started going on about you. Apparently you had really pissed him off- something about insulting sports? I don't know. But Booth was really drunk... he told me he was in love with you."

Brennan's heart sank, "He was inebriated..."

"Yeah. And you know what happens when someones inebriated? They get really honest."

"I..."

Brennan was cut off when the boarding for her plane was called. Time too leave.

"I guess that's you," Sully stood up and grabbed his bag. "It was good to see you."

"Yeah... you too," Brennan was still taking in the information she was just given.

"Listen... I'm sorry if this was too much. I just... I don't... I thought you should know. I got this amazing girl... I've never been this happy," He caught her eyes; seeing that she was almost in tears. "I want that for you, too. Don't stay in Indonesia too long."

And with that he was gone.

Brennan looked back to the line boarding her flight. Right now she was in New York; she could still go back. If she got on that plane... her fate was decided.

"Last call for flight 807, nonstop to Indonesia," the loud speaking cried out.

It was time to chose.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked that chapter...<strong>

**So here's an outline of the chapter I originally wrote... if you're interested:**

**It started with Brennan at the airport dreading getting on her flight. Contemplating staying. You THINK she's in DC still... only she's actually in Indonesia and its 2 months later. She's contemplating returning because she doesn't want to face the music for leaving Booth.**

** Booth in turn is in DC and is now Sweets free as he finishes up his last week of recovery time. He never made it to Brennan. He's been living like a hermit but he's doing well. In the processes of moving on and accepting what's happened. After returning from an early morning run, he gets a call from the DC airport. They've detained Brennan on a hold for questioning order (like what happened in the pilot). He put in the order two months ago when he was trying to stop Brennan from leaving and forgot to call it off. Now that she's returned, she's been held. Booth has to go to the airport now and get her.**

**Brennan is extremely pissed. She no longer feels guilty for leaving him. After she's released she disappears and Booth is alone again.**

**^^^ I felt like I wrote myself into a wall with that one. I don't know.**

**Tell me what you think. Was I write to not post it and rewrite it. Which did you like more?**


	15. Shelter from the Storm

**Thank you for all your wonderful comments and reviews! Glad to see you like the direction I was going in. Now I hope you like this chapter as well:D**

**Review it!**

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><p>The door swung open, "Dr. Brennan?"<p>

"Indonesia is currently experiencing a tropical storm period. The dig has been compromised... it will probably postponed," she had been hoping to find Booth on the other side of the door but was met with Sweets instead. "Since I will be staying, I see no reason to not continue the commitment I made."

"Yeah, of coarse," Sweets was getting over the shock. He thought for sure she was on a plane traveling to the other end of the world.

"Thank you for stepping in, Sweets," Her focused suddenly shifted to the man down the apartment hallway. He stood there looking at her; frozen. "Booth?"

A goofy smile washed over his face. She returned to him, "I thought you left..."

"I got to New York... but..." she didn't want to say she'd come back for him. "The weather in Indonesia... it wouldn't be advisable to travel right now..."

He knew she was lying, but he didn't care. However she needed to rationalize returning- he was fine with it. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," a similar goofy grin slowly worked its way over her face. She had been so worried about her return not being welcome.

"So. I uh..." Sweets was now aware that he was caught in the middle of this reunion... even if it had only been two days since they'd seen one another. "I'm just gonna... uh... yeah." Sweets ran back to the living room. Time to excuse himself.

They stood in silence as they listened to Sweets gather his things. "Thank you," he whispered to her. "You're a much better cook than, Sweets."

Eventually, Sweets was gone and she was moved back in. It was almost as if she had never left, but now there was a certain air between the two. Hardly any words but plenty of lingering looks. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms, but after his disastrous first attempt, he decided it would be better if he just let her come to him this time. She, however, was thinking the opposite. Even though she had told him she come back because of a tropical storm, she hoped he would understand her real reason. He was supposed to be good at reading people, right? She made her move, now he was supposed to take over. His alpha male tendencies should have picked up to her submission, at least that's what she was hoping for. But as they headed off to bed that night, no moves were made.

"Here," He handed her a pillow and a blanket. "You don't want that pillow and blanket. Sweets has been using them, I think he drools a little."

"Thank you," she took them from him shyly.

"Thank you for coming back to me, Bones- for me- I mean. Thank you for coming back for me," Booth knew this was the time he was supposed to excuse himself back to his own room, but he wasn't ready to leave her just yet.

"Well... the weather..." she cursed herself for the response.

He nodded his head, "Right... the weather."

"Although, I must admit, I am slightly pleased," she gave him an awkward smile. Why was she so embarrassed to admit she would rather spend time with him than a bunch of thousand year old corpses from a jungle.

"Me too," he gave in. His body took a couple steps towards her. Hands placed on her hips has he pulled her too him. Just a guy hug on the surface... but some how something more.

Her arms instinctively wrapped around his body like they hand done several other times. They stayed wrapped like this for several minutes; both still afraid to put into motion a further progression. For now they were content with this minimal contact; bodies firmly against one another but still able to excuse it as a 'guy hug'.

Eventually he pulled his body away from hers. She had come back to him tonight; he didn't need much more than that for now. "Goodnight, Temperance."

"Temperance?" she questioned.

"That's you're name, isn't it?" he teased.

"Yes... I suppose its somewhat of an oddity for me to hear you use it," she blushed at him. 'Temperance'... there was something unfamiliar and intimate about it.

"Goodnight," he smiled at her and shut his bedroom door. There was something thrilling in leaving her speechless like that. Usually it was him left with his eyes wide and his mouth open. At least that's what he thought he'd done to her. Hoped he had.

Brennan settled nicely back into the bed she'd come to know. In the past she'd brought her own blanket and pillow with her, but since she'd gone directly to his apartment from the airport, she had none of her own bedding with her. What she laid in now was taken from Booth's own bed. His specific sent interweaved the fibers of it as it laid against her skin. She watched the light dance underneath is door until it was abruptly turned off; and indication that he was off to bed as well. Having him on the other side of the door was so much better than having him on the other side of the world. She drifted off to sleep at the thought.

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><p><strong>So this was a shorter chapter. It was going to be much longer but I decided to wait to post the rest of it. I wanted to end that cliff hanger for you guys. More to come... don't worry... they're not taking any steps back. BIG things on the way :D<strong>

**Review!**


	16. Shift in the Night

**So this is a sweet little chapter...**

**:D :D :D :D**

**REVIEW IT!  
><strong>

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><p>Her eyes flew open.<p>

No sooner than she'd allowed herself to go to sleep; she was now forcing herself awake. The blissful and quite state of the night had been disturb; her heart raced for answers. What was that noise? She looked to Booth's room and could see his light was still off. Around her everything seemed to be just as it always was, but she knew that something had jolted her from her sleep.

A low grunt came from Booth's room; it sounded painful.

Brennan picked herself up out of bed and ran to his room. Although he was almost in his fourth week of recovery, he was still subject to seizures and hemorrhaging. Desperately hopped she wasn't about to find either.

She sat at his bed side and turned on his nightstand light. He his body was covered in sweat as he trashed back in forth in his sleep. Apparently it was nothing more than a nightmare. But his breathing was heavy and erratic; if he didn't wake up now he could force himself into a seizure.

"Booth... Booth wake up," She placed her hands lightly on either side of his head; trying to still his movements. "Wake up, it's just a dream. Booth... you need to wake up."

His eyes fluttered open and immediately were caught by hers, "Bones?"

"You were having a nightmare," she stroked his cheek gently.

Instead of returning to a calm state, his panic only heightened. He sat up and grabbed her arms and began examining them. "Nothing," he switched his attention to her neck; lightly running his fingers and eyes over every part of her.

"Booth, what are you doing?"

"You're okay," He said to himself. "You're okay..."

"Booth..." She reached out for his cheeks again and brought him back to her eyes. Why was he looking over her body like this? "What's wrong?"

"I... I was having a bad dream," his breathing began to settle and his body was finally cooling down. "You were hurt."

"It was just a dream," her fingers gingerly traced the outline of his jaw. "I'm fine."

Relief splashed over his face and he pulled her to him. He engulfed her in his arms as laid back down with her; tucking her head under his chin. This was so much more than a guy hug- thankfully she didn't fight it. Instead she nuzzled herself into his chest, letting her ear rest firmly against his beating heart. It felt like she always imagined it would, and somehow more.

She heard his breathing catch. Was he crying? "Its okay... its okay."

He kissed the top of her head, "You were... your body- I hurt you."

Brennan pulled herself up from him slightly. She could see his eyes were red and filled with tears, but not quite crying. "I'm fine, Booth," she gave him a comforting smile. "You would never hurt me. I know that."

"I'm sorry."

"Booth, stop," her fingers ran up to his lips and silenced him. He didn't need to apologize for a dream.

As much as she relished being held by him like this; she had to move. She picked herself up off his chest and leaned him forward to her. Her fingers went to the edge of his shirt and began pulling it over his head.

"What are you doing?" Suddenly he was nervous. She was undressing him...

"Here," she gave a quick tug and pulled it off his body. "You've sweated through your shirt, your cytokines and prostaglandins are..." she realized he would have no idea what she was saying. "You're going to get chills as your body readjust to its regular temperature. You shouldn't be in these wet clothes." She left him and went to his bathroom before returning seconds later. "You should take a shower. I already set it for you."

He stood slowly and she followed in closely behind him. "Are you coming in with me?" he teased.

"Oh... no. I just wanted to make sure the temperature was alright," Actually she wasn't entirely sure why she'd followed him in.

He stuck his hand under the stream, "Feels good, Bones." But oh how he wished she'd come in with him.

"Good... Well, I'll just wait outside. I'll leave the door cracked if you need me," she awkwardly excused herself and returned to his bedroom. However, it was then it occurred to her that he had no fresh clothes to change into. She went to his dresser and pulled out a similar pair of sweat pants and shirt that he'd just been wearing. Quietly she re-entered the bathroom.

But she was caught, "Bones?"

"I'm not looking!" she said immediately as she dropped his clothes by the sink. "I'm just leaving you some fresh clothes."

"Okay..." his eyes moved to the cloudy figure outside the shower. It didn't appear that she was looking...

But she was. Her eyes peaked over to the outline of his body. She'd seen him naked before, but only out of her peripheral vision. It was so wrong of her to look at him like this... her stomach flipped. She could see everything despite the foggy glass. Everything.

Before he got suspicious she returned back to the bedroom- this time for good. She'd wait for him there.

Meanwhile, Booth enjoyed the sobering shower. This was the second night in a row that he'd had a dream about Brennan being hurt and battered. This time they were at the lab; Brennan had asked for his help in a reenactment which lead to him laying on top of her on an autopsy table. It soon followed much in the way of his previous dream. Every time he touched her, he hurt her.

After a good 20 minutes, he was finally able to shake most of the vision from his head. Brennan was there and she was fine. Time to stop the water, dry off, and get back to bed.

But when he returned, he found his bed in a slightly different state then he'd left it. Laying in the middle was an exhausted and sleeping, Bones. She'd just lied down for a minute to close her eyes; no intention of falling asleep in his bed. But it was so comfortable... and she'd got so little sleep...

Booth couldn't help but observe how angelic she looked... it would be wrong to disturb her. He tiptoed quietly over too her and pulled a blanket over her body, he would be more than happy to take the couch tonight.

"Do you want me to move?" she was still half a sleep.

"No, no, Bones. Go back to bed," he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll take the couch tonight."

"No... Booth," she weakly scooted her body over to the opposite side of the bed. "Here."

He took this as an invite and slid into bed next to her.

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><p><strong>Aww... :)<br>**

**REVIEW! PLEASE!**

**I'm SOOO excited about the next couple chapters!  
><strong>


	17. Just Partners between the Sheets

**I LOVE THIS CHAPTER.**

**Anyway... thank you too all the readers and reviewers! You guys are so awesome and I should tell you more often:P**

**Oh... and I don't own Bones. I always forget that.**

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><p>"Hey..." his eyes awoke to a warm and glowing smile.<p>

"Hi," she whispered back as if she was afraid of someone overhearing. She'd been awake for a good hour all ready, but hadn't willed herself to get up. "How did you sleep?"

"Great," he said groggily. It had been the best nights sleep in a long time. Sleeping next to her, although they never touched, just felt so right. They had both found their way to the center of the bed; sleeping so close they could feel one another breathing but never actually made physical contact. Maybe that was for the best, if they had woken up in one anothers' arms, that might have turned this blissful morning awkward. Not touching, they could both still cling to their comfortable, 'we're just partners', status. "How did you sleep?"

"Great," she stretched her body out before recoiling back around his sheets. "What did you dream about?"

He gave a small chuckle, "I bought a swimming pool because I was out of bowls- because Parker broke them all- so I bought a swimming pool because it wouldn't break like a ceramic bowl would. That way I could have cereal whenever I wanted."

"Oh..." she nodded. "You would be eating your cereal out of the swimming pool? You would need a lot of milk."

"You were helping me calculate how much."

"That would never happen," she teased.

"You were very into it- you thought it was a great idea," he teased her back.

She eyed him suspiciously, "A standard Olympic size swimming pool has approximately 2,500,000 liters of water... so... that would be... 660,000 gallons of milk."

"But..." he was excited he was about to correct her. That didn't happen often, "You forgot about the cereal."

She instantly reached back behind her and grabbed a spare pillow; she swung it around and hit him in the face, "Its and idiotic idea to begin with!" She pulled it back and hit him again.

"Hey- hey-" he grabbed the pillow from her. "I'm allowed to be right too sometimes... So what did you dream about?"

She paused for a moment, "I was at the lab... we were going through a case together and someone replaced the body with bananas."

He gulped as he recalled what Sweets had informed him about dreams with bananas. Repressed sexual urges, "Bananas, huh?"

"Ridiculous."

"Yeah..."

An unsureness settled between them as they both finally processed how close they were in such a large bed. "Would you like me to make you some breakfast?" She began to pick herself up.

He grabbed her wrist, "Hey, no, wait. Just hold on a second, Bones," she laid herself back down next to him. "Thank you. For taking care of me last night."

"That's why I'm here, Booth," Her head went back to resting on the pillow they had shared. "I was... I was really scared last night."

"You were?" Booth thought maybe she meant that she was scared to sleep next to him. "I could have taken the couch, Bones, I told you."

"What? No. Not that..." They both felt a little awkward now that it had been acknowledge that they were sharing a bed together. "I was scared when I heard you last night. Before I knew you were having a nightmare... I thought..." She didn't want to say what she thought.

He let his fingers interlock with hers, "Hey. Remember. You're fine. I'm fine. We're both okay."

She nodded and smiled but that didn't keep tears from rushing to her eyes. She choked back a sudden sob she hadn't been expecting, "I don't want you too..." she couldn't complete her sentence. Couldn't say the words.

His arms brought her up to his body; pulling her in so she rested completely on him. "Don't cry..." he smiled when he said it and instantly felt bad. She was in pain right now and that shouldn't make him smile. But she was also letting him hold her... and letting him see how much he meant to her. How could he not be a little bit happy about that? His arm slid down to the small of her back and rubbed gentle circles, "Don't cry, Bones."

Her hand slid across his torso before wiping one of her tears away, "Thank you, Booth."

"Last night I got scared and you held me. Just returning the favor."

She laughed into his chest, "You... you have a doctor's appointment today."

Booth rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, with Dr. Casanova. How could I forget?"

She sat up on his chest and looked at him, "Booth... the name of your doctor is Dr. Moore and... oh, you are being sarcastic."

"Yeah, just a little, Bones."

She laid her head back down on his chest and readjust her body so she was more comfortable; her thigh swung over his, "Booth, I never had any intentions of going out with him..."

"No?"

"No."

"What? Was he too good looking for you?"

"No... I found him very appealing. Physically."

He decided to dig a little farther, "So what was it then?"

"Logically, if I were to entertain the possibility of being in a monogamous relationship- I should seek out a partner whom I would connect with in a much broader form. Emotionally as well as physically..."

"So are you entertaining the possibility? Um... for a monogamous relationship, I mean," Oh he really really hoped she was. He also hoped she couldn't feel his arousal at that moment.

She finally freed herself from his hold, "Help me make breakfast?"

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><p><strong>SOOO freakin' close. I know. That would have been the PERFECT moment. It would have been PERFECT. But oh... it wasn't.<strong>

**Review please!**


	18. Heart on the Line

**Okay... so a little disclaimer. This chapter as a T+ rating. Not an M. But its a little bit harder than previous chapters. Hope you enjoy it;)**

**Oh... and review it when you're done!**

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><p>The whole day past amazingly well. Booth's doctor's appointment went great, and not just because Dr. Casanova was missing in action, but Booth's doctor was very pleased with Booth's progress. After the appointment, they stopped at the diner for the first time since his surgery, he was even able to talk Bones into letting him buy her a piece of pie. A small victory, but one he took in stride. They went home later, curled up on the couch, and watched the playoffs till Bones fell asleep on his shoulder. Which hadn't taken long actually, she had found the game extremely dull.<p>

But that wasn't what Booth was thinking about now, as he lied in bed. His mind was focused on that morning. The way her body felt on his- his dream had been amazingly accurate. He couldn't help but wonder what else his dream had been right about? How she would feel. How she would taste. What noises did she make? His mind still rang out with her moans and squeals from that night he had her- but hadn't actually had her. He felt confident that he could erupt those same sounds from her.

It was wrong to think of her like this, he knew it. But he couldn't help himself. He would wait as long as she needed; but tonight he needed release and thinking of her was the only thing that could do it for him. His eyes closed and he took hold. Worshiping her body. Loving her. Breaking every law of physics. It didn't take long for him to get close.

He kicked the sheets from his body and looked to his nightstand. A nice glob of lotion in his hand- and back to work.

But before he could return to his... fantasy... the door to his bedroom swung open.

"Booth?"

Booth grabbed at his sheets to hid himself but lost his balance. He reached for the nightstand to catch his fall but the lotion in his hand provided no grip and he fell to the floor. Completely naked in front of the woman he'd just been thinking about.

She rushed over to him. Convinced that this time he was actually having a seizure. "Booth! Booth..."

"Ahh..." That had been a painful fall. But the moment he noticed the Brennan looming over him, he pulled the sheet from his bed in an effort to cover his unyielding arousal. The light in his room was still off. There was a very good chance that she hadn't seen anything.

"Booth- Booth, are you okay?" she was in completely panic as she tried to pull him from the floor but he refused to move his arms. In an effort to move him to the bed... she accidentally grabbed something that wasn't his wrist. "Oh."

"Bones! Stop!," he growled at her. He yanked the sheet completely off the bed and covered himself. Angry and completely humiliated.

She backed away from him, "Booth, I'm sorry."

"Just leave!" He laid back in his bed; curled in a ball away from her. Damn it. Why hadn't he locked the door?

"I was just worried... I thought you were... I thought you were having another nightmare..." she said softly and innocently. She should have knocked.

"Just go."

"Its perfectly natural, Booth. You shouldn't be ashamed..." she offered. "The Kinsey Report found that 95% percent of adult males engage in habitual masturbation..."

"Bones..." this wasn't helping. She just needed to leave.

"62% of women, although with more accessible information it can be assumed that that percentile has raced since the 1950's..." She didn't know much about comforting someone without statistics. "I frequently..."

He cut her off, "Bones. I'm sorry. I just can't talk to you right now."

But she pressed on, "I'm just letting you know that I'm not offended. I engage in self stimulus too." She really wished he would turn around and look at her so she knew they were okay. "Its actually very good for you immune system..." she could tell she was getting no where. He wanted her gone so she'd go.

"I'm sorry, Bones," He could tell that she thought he was mad at her. He wasn't; just extremely embarrassed and pissed at himself.

She stopped before she reached the door. Now or never. "Booth? I have no evidence of this, but I think I would prove to be a more satisfying alternative."

He froze. What?

She took his silence as her answer, "Okay. Well, I'll just leave you alone..." Now she felt just as embarrassed as he had.

"Wait, Bones. What?" he wasn't sure he had heard her correctly.

"I'll just leave you alone..." she repeated.

"No... what did you say before that?"

She turned around to see his eyes now on her, "I think I could be an alternative. For you. I asked your doctor if he felt you were able to engage in intercourse..." She was never very good at reading people, but she was pretty sure his face was giving no expression even through the little bit of light that came through the curtains. She took a deep breath, a risk. "Booth... I want you."

He crawled down the bed towards her. Letting the sheets fall. He took her hand in his.

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><p><strong>THERE. What you've all been waiting for.<strong>

**And YES... I do enjoy tormenting you all :D**

**Review... tell me how much you hate it or love it! I don't know if I'll continue... so let me know what you guys are feeling. I have places to go but I want to know if you want more.**


	19. The Note from the Author

Okay... This is just an author note. So I apologize in advance for anyone who raced over here hoping for a new chapter... Sorry!

Before I write/post the next chapter... I want to get some opinions.

I'm not sure where else I want to go with this story. Can I write more chapters for this story? Yeah, sure I can. I'm capable. But I'm not sure if I should. So that's where you guys come in. Now that they're together do you want me to go on? Keep the story going? Or would you rather have me start on a new story? I was thinking about writing my own version of what I think is going on in the Bones universe between season 6 and 7. I know this is a popular trend write now... so I don't know if you guys are completely exhausted of those stories. I've been reading a couple of them lately, and generally I've been pretty unsatisfied with them- which is why I was thinking about writing my own. I'm finding most start off well and then go into a direction where I'm like... wtf?

This is usually how I start... I look for the story I want and if I can't find it I just start writing what I would have wanted to read.

Would you guys be interested in me ending this story in the next chapter and starting that other story? I'm really bad at writing two stories at the same time, or I would. OR would you guys rather me continue this story, even though I currently have no real future visions (I'm sure I could get some but as of now I really don't have anything planned).

I'd love to hear your thoughts as I can't really post the next chapter till I know what I'm doing. Do I wrap this story up in a neat bow with the ending or keep it moving to the next plot turn?

I'd love your thoughts!

And thanks again for putting up with my author's note post:D

Zygo.


	20. Change in the End

**Okay... so the final chapter you've all been waiting for:)**

**Thank you too all who've followed this story and even more thank yous to all of those who followed this story after ready my first story "Change in the Story". You guys are soo freakin' awesome. Just WOW.**

**I hope you like this little ending. I'm never very good with the beginnings or endings of stories. To me its more about the journey than the conclusion. But I hope this suits you:)**

**And even more so I hope you follow me over to my next story. Its called "What We Didn't See". It takes place between season 6&7 and covers the moments will never get too see. The first chapter is up already with more to follow. So please check it out!**

**Love too you all!**

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><p>She looked a little scary laying there next oo him. A terrifying angelic and peacefulness. She, herself, wasn't actually that terrifying- but the power she held over the man holding her- that was a little scary. For all he knew she could wake up at any moment and leap out of his arms with a plane ticket to the other end of the earth. He sure hoped she didn't, if she ran, she was taking his heart with her. Last night there had been a lot of words and then none at all. The moment he took her hand in his, aside from a couple of passionate declarations in the throws, nothing had been discussed.<p>

Suddenly he felt her shift and her eyes open lazily, "Hi."

Her eyes adjust to the light and found his, "Good morning." A smile.

"... Did you sleep well?" that awkward morning-after started to fill his mind.

She gave a slight gutted giggle, "Very well." Her lips found his neck and began tracing his jaw. No indication of no regret- because she had none.

"You're very affectionate," now he was giggling; her lips were so light and delicate against his rough and unshaven stubble.

"You sound surprised..." she backed off him. "I know that I can come off as cold but I'm not completely unable to express feelings of..."

"What? No, Bones," Somehow he'd already managed to mess up. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just surprised that you're being affectionate to me..."

"I wouldn't have slept with you, Booth, if I didn't have genuine feelings for you..." she was confused and a little hurt. Was it that bizarre to see her be loving? True it wasn't always ease for her but...

"No. I don't mean it like that either, Bones," He could feel her getting ready to bolt so he held her a little tighter. "I just can't believe that you're finally here. That you're finally with me. I've wanted this for so long."

"Oh..." suddenly she felt a little ashamed and a little embarrassed by his desire. Jumping to conclusions before she had all the facts. "I've wanted this too..."

He pulled her up to him. First kiss of their first morning. She deepened it; crawling on top of him. He hadn't been trying to initiate another round but he certainly wouldn't object to it. He'd never object. "I like this new side of you. Very very affectionate."

"I'm appreciative..." she moaned into his mouth. She was also not completely sure she was able to walk after last night. They both had excellent stamina.

He moved to kiss right behind her ear, "I know you are..." His tongue pulled on her earlobe, "You were multiply appreciative..."

"You're bragging," although she knew it was true. "Would like to test this. Just so we know your theory isn't a fluke?" she could be suggestive too.

He flipped her over; ready for the challenge. But before he could continue, he knew there were a couple of matters that had to be addressed. "Bones... Bones, hold on a second." But she wasn't ready too. Once the sequence had been activated- Brennan was very hard to stop. "Hold on. Stop... We have to talk first."

"What do we have to talk about...?"

"This thing we're starting, Bones. You know its not just sex, right?" He hated having to clarify like this- but with Bones it was necessary. If they weren't upfront about this now, he knew she would retreat with a claim that this was only sex later. He couldn't have that. "This is much more than just sex to me, Bones. You need to know that before we go any farther."

Her assaults on his body ceased, "You mean... you want a relationship? With me?"

"Yeah, Bones. I do. And if you can't do that I need to know..." He could see her face suddenly growing much more serious than it had been only moments ago. Her playful nature... gone. "I need to know, Bones. You know how I feel about you."

"You love me."

His eyes widened. She did know. "Yeah."

"I know that this is more than a sexual relationship... or that it will be. I know that you want that. I think that I would like that as well," she suddenly felt naked in more ways than one underneath him. A very new rush and sensation. "You do love me, right?" I suddenly occurred to her that he might just be saying he loved her because she had made the accusation at him.

"Yeah, Bones. I love you," This hadn't really been the way he'd always planned to say it to her. But then nothing between them had every really follow a plan.

She nodded and tears began to fill her eyes; her body pulled him close to her. There was nothing lustful or sexual between them at that moment- just pure love. "I.." she tried to say the words but tears began fall and her throat began to tighten. "I..."

"Hey... its okay, Bones. You don't have to say anything back..."

"No... I..." she wanted so badly to say the words. She pulled apart from him... "Booth... I..." she nodded her head. The words were to difficult to say. Not because she didn't want to say them or because she didn't mean them. She was too overwhelmed with the weight of them. These weren't words she threw around lightly... or had ever truly spoken in this respect.

"I know..." he wrapped his body around hers. "You don't have to say it. I know."

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><p><strong>END.<strong>


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